Minnesota Wild's Pierre-Marc Bouchard, left, who missed part of last season with a concussion was declared healthy and was activated. / Jim Mone, AP

by From staff and wire reports, USA TODAY

by From staff and wire reports, USA TODAY

What happened Thursday as teams prepared for Friday's 3 p.m. ET roster deadline and Saturday's start of the season:

New York Rangers: They bought out defenseman Wade Redden, who had been buried in the minors the past two seasons to get his cap hit off the books. That's not allowed anymore. He had two years left on his six-year, $39 million contract. The Rangers' move will make him an unrestricted free agent.

Dallas Stars: Mike Modano, the team's all-time leading scorer, was hired as an executive adviser. The Stars also hired three-time Stanley Cup champion Mark Recchi in hockey operations and former Stars goaltender Marty Turco as an analyst on the team's broadcasts.

Minnesota Wild: Defenseman Matthew Dumba, the team's first-round pick last summer, made the opening roster. Pierre-Marc Bouchard was cleared from last season's concussion and activated.

Detroit Red Wings: Plans are to have Tomas Holmstrom to announce his retirement before Tuesday's home opener.

Toronto Maple Leafs: They announced that the team's 15,000 season ticketholders would be able to attend Monday's home opener for free. Another 1,000 tickets will be given away to the opener through promotions. The Maple Leafs also placed center Tim Connolly on waivers.

Carolina Hurricanes: They sent forward Andreas Nodl and Brett Sutter to Charlotte of the American Hockey League. Nodl had played 48 games with the Hurricanes last season after being picked up on waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers

Columbus Blue Jackets: Defenseman Tim Erixon, acquired last summer as part of the Rick Nash trade, was sent to the AHL. They also returned Boone Jenner to his junior team.